After leaving Hue we drove south through Da Nang to the town of Hoi An. The "Dragon Bridge" below is in Da Nang. The fish farms in the next picture are just north of Da Nang at the narrowest point in the country. These fish farms are on the coast, and as you can see, the mountains are not far inland. Viet Nam is only 35 miles wide at this point, and the mountains extend from the coastline into Laos. Because of the mountains, all of Viet Nam's transportation links, like highways and trains, are squeezed against the coastline
Hoi An is a UNESCO World heritage site. The older section of the city is recognized as an exceptionally well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port. Between the seventh and 10th centuries, the Cham people controlled the strategic spice trade and this was their port. As late as the 19th century, ships and traders from China, Japan, and as far away as Portugal came up the river to Hoi An. In the 1500-1600s, the town was segregated. The bridge below, called the 'Japanese Bridge', led across a canal to the Japanese section of the city.
The day we arrived, we to a restaurant that serves food buffet style. Some of the options were a little too much!
